Sleep is a valuable thing
by flushed puppy 15
Summary: Hellboy just wants his father to take it easy, but that is easier said than done. (I utterly suck at doing summaries, but I digress read and review if it wouldn't be too much trouble).
1. Chapter 1

Professor Broome had gone about two days with no sleep, it wasn't all that bad, and he wasn't really as grumpy as he thought he would be. His son on the other hand was a completely different story. Hellboy was almost twelve now and in the short years he had been with his father, he had already shown how…protective he was.

As he finished translating the scripture some agents had brought in this morning, he heard his study door opening and closing. He knew exactly who it was and why they were here, poor boy, he just wanted his father to go to bed.

"Father?" Hellboy asked before peering in. Just recently he had started trimming his horns to look more human, the reason he had was that he wanted people to believe him when he told them the Professor was his father.

"Come in son. Don't worry I'm just about done here." He spoke gently as his son stooped down to the floor beside him. His son's normally smug grin was replaced by a tired and worried look. His yellow eyes were focused on the contents of his father's desk.

"So, what was so important about this stuff you couldn't let be here till morning?" Hellboy asked looking up at his father, who had smiled and shrugged.

"Just some things the bureau was worried about, nothing all too dangerous, but they still wanted to be sure." The Professor laid a hand on his sons head and gave him a wary pat before standing up to go to bed.

"Oi, finally I thought you were turning into a vampire or something." Hellboy joked as he stood with him. He stretched and yawned like a wild lion as he followed his father out. Abe swam in his tank and flurried his gill flaps up as they walked past him. Hellboy waved at him with a grin and turned his pages.

"Thank you," Abe said as he continued to read through his books.

As they walked through the pristine silver hallway, Hellboy had to remind himself that he couldn't boss his father around; he was his father after all. However another part of him said when the time came he would have to at least try to get him to take it easy. Staying up as late as he did was not healthy especially when his father was getting grey hairs, lots of grey hairs. It scared Hellboy to know that his father wasn't invincible like he was. He could die, and what then? Hellboy would be all alone. Sure he would have Liz and Abe, but no one could replace his father.

No one.

Before he knew it or even realized it, Hellboy had followed Broom all the way to his room. When his father nudged him out of his depressed state he quickly apologized and attempted to walk off.

"Hellboy if something's wrong you can tell whatever it is, you know that right?" The professor said reaching up to lay a hand on his sons shoulder.

"Yeah I know…nothing's wrong; promise." Hellboys tail flicked and curled as his father scratched under his jaw. Hellboy always loved it when he did that.

As he walked back to his bedroom, hooves clicking against the white tile, he saw Liz strolling out of her room, half asleep he guessed, in her panties. Hellboy raised a brow and walked next to her as she, quite literally, strolled down the hallway, hips rocking from side to side with every step.

"Hey, Liz, you know you don't have any pants on right?" Hellboy asked as he tried not to stair (which was becoming increasingly difficult by the minute, it was a bit hard not to). Liz just shrugged and continued to walk down the hallway; not even glancing at the agents giving her puzzled expressions.

"Meh, I'm just getting a drink, I'll be back in my room before you know it Red." She said stopping at a vending machine. Hellboys bushy black brows furrowed, but he kept his mouth shut.

Hellboy stood in front of his bedroom mirror. He had been outside the bureau plenty of times before to know what a human boy looked like. He ran his flesh hand over his horn stubs and flinched at how raw they still were. Black scruff was forming at his chin and temples, he knew for a fact that twelve year olds didn't have that. He winced at his own aging and wished to be someone ells, someone normal with a normal face and normal skin. He didn't want to be red over six feet tall and able to lift three hundred pounds. Hellboy let out a stressful groan and face planted onto his dresser. His ears perked at the soft metallic hiss of his safe door being opened.

"Hey big guy, a brought you a Baby Ruth, I know how much you love these things." Agent Clay said as he strolled in waving it around in the air like a trophy. Hellboy poked his head out and walked over to the shorter man, yellow eyes focused on the candy bar in his hands. Clay let out a wry chuckle and tossed it to Hellboy, who then caught it in midair like it was a fly ball. Hellboy tore the wrapper off in one yank and chomped it down in two large bites.

"Haven't you ever heard of savoring the taste?" Clay asked with a creeping smile. No matter what age Hellboy really was, he would always act like a kid in his own ways.

"I just eat it, it's not an expensive French dish you get at four grand; it's a cheap candy bar at a drug store." Hellboy grunted as he scooped a cat up to pet. The calico mewed and rubbed her head under Hellboys chin.

"Why do you like cats so much anyway?" Clay asked sitting down on one of Hellboys exercise benches.

"Well they don't run and scream when they meet me, that's one example." Hellboy answered tail flicking from side to side. Clay raised a brow and twisted his head.

"Your dad didn't run and scream. He rescued you, doesn't that count for something?"

Hellboys eyes twitched as whipped his head around, looking more than a little agitated.

"That counts for everything and you know what I meant." He ground out trying not to sound too mad. Clay's body tensed ever so slightly, he nodded and made his way out the safe door. As it slid back into place Hellboy could only imagine what kind of jerk he had been, a world class one sounded about right. Hellboy sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he set the feline down.

As he strode down the hall, Hellboy heard shouts and screams echo down to his left. Not a minute after a red alert blared to life and rang throughout the complex.

"Damn," Hellboy huffed under his breath as he sped down to the chaos. A two headed monster raged and bit the heads off of every agent that came near it. As far as the report said it was a premature Nessy or something- but Hellboy didn't care, he just needed to put the thing out of their misery. He tackled it to the ground and wrestled with it for a little before it threw him into a wall evidently cratering it. As Hellboy struggled to his feet- or hooves to be more accurate, he brought his revolver out and aimed at one the beasts writhing heads. A loud inhuman shriek filled the corridors and rang in Hellboys ears. He had made a clear shot, but that only seemed to piss it off. It lunged before Hellboy could make another attempt at shooting it. It sank its teeth into his shoulder and made a pleased growl. Hellboy let out an agony filled yell, not a scream. Hellboy the monster hunter _did not scream_.

"Damn it! That's it, you're definitely dead now Nessy!" Hellboy snarled before aiming the barrel of his gun to the beasts head and firing a column into it. The beast slumped and stained Hellboys over coat with thick dark green ooze. Hellboy shoved the thing off and pulled himself up to assess the damage, it wasn't too bad, a few dead agents, but nothing worth a law suit.

"What the hell happened here?" Hellboy turned to the voice as he clicked his gun back into place after reloading it.

"That thing," Hellboy grunted to Manning as the balding middle aged agent gaped at the mess of blood and gore. Manning looked at Hellboy who only stared back, a dozen other agents rushed down to clean up and give first aid after a few minutes of disbelief and deadpan staring.

"Professor, you have got to keep a tighter leash on that- that _pet _of yours." Manning exclaimed as the Professor limped over; cane in hand; a scruffy robe wrapped tightly around his waist.

"I've told you time and time again Manning, Hellboy is my son." The Professor said a stern look in his eyes. Manning glowered for a moment before turning to order the new recruits around. Hellboy walked over to his father fully expecting to get scolded for being reckless.

"You did very well," he spoke, a faint British accent brought out. He only did that when he felt like being affectionate. Hellboys pointed demon ears perked at the quirk, and he let himself feel just a smidgen of pride.

"Thanks, mind patchin' me up? I'm not all that handy with first aid and all." Hellboy joked reaching up to run the back of his neck, but flinched as the wound reminded him that he was losing blood, and at a fairly fast rate at that. Hellboy let out a groan and fell to his knees, the hot bursting pain seemed to spread, and as he tried to look straight ahead his vision got blurrier and blurrier by the second. Damn.

That stupid thing poisoned him.


	2. Chapter 2

It was twelve o'clock in the morning and Prof. Broom was more than worried. He ran a cold wash rag over his face in attempts to calm down. A few other agents were coming in and out of the hospital room, carrying medical equipment and plastic I.V bags. Some of the bags were filled with blood others were filled with water and a few were holding a translucent green liquid, after a few hours of worrying Abe and Liz were by his side in the cold hallway. The white florescent lights flickered and insects buzzed in odd patterns around them, attracted to the light like a drug. Suddenly a man with dark combed hair and dark rimmed glasses stepped out with a clip board.

"Professor Broom? Your son is alive and well, we managed to drain all of the poison out of him." He said a wary, but true smile on his square jaw. "He's a lot tougher than he looks you know."

Broom didn't hear a word he said as he rushed in to sit beside his son. Hellboy looked peaceful as he lay on the hospital bed; one arm was bandaged and in a sling with his right arm inches away from fall off the tiny mattress. An old quilt was draped over his massive injured figure.

"Thank god," Broom huffed under his breath; he sat down beside his child and gave his head a gentle stroke. Hellboys eyes cracked open and he blinked a few times before registering where he was and what happened.

"Oh God, this is a hospital. I hate hospitals." He groaned a pained expression worrying his temples. The professor chuckled warmly and gave Hellboys chin a scratch.

"You'll be out of here by tomorrow don't fret now." Broom assured his wrinkled face crinkling into a kind fatherly smile.

"Yeah, sure; but if I'm still here in the morning; I swear to god I'll jump out'a that window." Hellboy grunted jerking his head in the windows direction.

"Honestly Hellboy if you keep talking like that we'll have to put you on suicide watch." Abe interjected as he took a seat with Liz.

"Feeling any better Red?" Liz asked brows drawn together, her dark hair pulled back under a black cap. Hellboy shrugged, he could be better if this hell hole gave him some pain meds, but hey. What'll you do?

~~~~ _A few moth's later_

"Hey, HB? We need you down in the south wing, another witch escaped." Agent Clay's crackly static filled voice echoed off of the cold stone walls in Hellboys room as he commed from said wing. Red dropped his dumb-bell, growling he pulled his sweat doused shirt off and stomped down the hall ways. He smelled of sweat and month old dirty socks. The passing by agents covered their mouths and noses, some even passed out from the shear scent. The sound of gagging followed Hellboy all the way down to the south wing to find a woman with black floor length hair blasting agent's heads off. Hellboy winced as one screamed in agony after having his legs burned off. Hellboy thought he would be sick from the raw brutality and cruelty.

"Hellboy, over here!" Liz shouted currently trying to hold the witch back from sucking the entire building into an inter-dimensional death trap. Hellboy growled and tried to tackle her to the ground, but was forced back with a mad cackle coming from the red eyed dame. Her dark ever green robes sailed around her waving in the cyclone winds. Lightning crackled out of her fingertips with precision at agents and other cells alike. Hellboy aimed his gun at her while she was busy torturing the agents and fired straight at her head. An inhuman screech bounced off of the walls and carried down the corridors. While she clutched her head in agony Hellboy wasted no time tackling her to the ground. Blood poured out of her open wound and Hellboy looked at her for a moment and saw something in her eyes that looked…almost human. Then it faded away as her life did, her black eyes staring back at Hellboy leaving him in a trance.

"Hellboy? Hey, Red, you okay up there?" Liz asked stretching a hand up to wave in front of the demons face. Hellboy was snapped back to reality and shook his head before feeling his horn stumps.

"Yeah…I'm-I'm good just…tired." Hellboy mumbled sounding distant like he was ten miles away from Liz. He pinched the bridge of his nose and walked off to get some (hopefully) calming water. He could really use it right now.

When he shot that witch, something inside of Hellboy kind of…snapped. She looked so human and real, but of course she was real; after all…

She did kill and maim a little over twenty agents. The fact made Hellboy shudder like he was in a snow storm. A sick, dark feeling over took him that day, like he was turning into some monster. Maybe Manning was right, maybe he should be locked up for good.

"That menace of a _'son'_ just caused the deaths of some of our top agents Broom! Either you get rid of him or I do it myself!" Hellboy froze right in his tracks, what was Manning talking about? The only killing Hellboy did was the Witch, he didn't kill any agents. He pressed himself against the wall of his father's study. Mounds of books camouflaged him perfectly in the dim lighting. Broom was sitting down a shocked and angry look in his blue eyes. Hellboy wanted to cry right then and there, but he didn't. He was an agent of the B.P.R.D and B.P.R.D agents did not cry.

"I will not lock my child away like a prisoner, Tom. No matter what he does or says or rash he may be, he will always be my son. Nothing you say or do will ever change that." Professor Broom's voice echoed throughout the library. Manning was silent for a moment before turning around to exit the old and worn study in a huff.

"He may be your son," Manning began before turning; "But he will never be human, he's a demon Broom. Nothing you say or do can change that either." And with that the balding man left with a slam of the old wooden doors. Broom was silent for a long time before soft whispery sobs, barely even heard made it to Hellboy.

"Oh God," Broom asked through tear drops and sniffles; "What will I do?"

~~~~ _That night…_

"Damn it!" Hellboy yelled as he threw his fist into the punching bag as hard as he possibly could. His scarlet skin burned to the touch from the training and fighting he had been doing for the past three hours. His anger boiled like a young volcano; yellow eyes burned like the darkest hell fire. The hiss of his bedroom door brought his attention to agent Clay and Abe, one carting a bowls of food that didn't look at all appetizing and the other with a book. Clay gave Hellboy a sentimental look before leaving Abe and him to talk.

"Hellboy, I brought _'From Hell to Eternity.' _I know how much you enjoyed this book." Abe said with a knowing and gentle smile. He sat down on one of Hellboys exercise benches and opened the scarlet hard cover.

"Abe, do you think I act like a…demon?" Hellboy asked hesitant if he even wanted to know the answer.

"Well not entirely, you have some mischievous attributes, but nothing evil or blood thirsty." Abe said leaning on his fist which was perched on his knee. "Why so curious?"

"Oh, no reason really, just wondering." Hellboy said averting his eyes away from Abe's all-knowing ones, they always looked like he was studying him under a microscope or something. Abe made a humming sound, like he understood what the real reason was.

"He loves you like any other father would you know, Demon or not." Abe murmured running his smooth scaly fingertips over the book cover. Hellboy paused and bumped his forehead against the leather punching bag.

"I know that he does, but sometimes when I hear him and Manning fight, I think…maybe just maybe, he shouldn't. He deserves better than me." Abe tensed ever so slightly, he knew what Hellboy thought, thinks about, and will think about, but this is dark. Even for him. The fish man set a consoling hand on Hellboys shoulder, immediately he was flooded with memories and feelings he knew Hellboy was more than capable of feeling, but never knew they would show so easily. So vividly, and so raw.

"Whatever you say, here" Abe handed the scarlet leather book to him, "It's actually a really good book."

The soft metal hiss echoed in the lonely room, Hellboy sighed, it was heavy and labored. He had read this book so many times he practically knew the lines. A man's wife cheats on him and another man is trying escape the Navy, somehow deep down in his soul, Hellboy knew what it meant to feel like that.

Almost too well. The pain was still fresh, and it clings on to Hellboy like the stench of sweat and witch blood.

"Hellboy! The witch from earlier is still alive!" The overhead speaker blared so loudly if made Hellboys ears ring for a minute.

"What?!" Hellboy asked clutching his ears.

"The witch from earlier! And…she has Broom."

That snapped Hellboy out of his trance.


	3. Chapter 3

In life there are some things that you should never mess with, an old recipe handed down through the ages, antiques from your grandma, and a sleeping Hell boy.

As Hell boy raced down the corridors the only thought in his head was that his father needed him. When he reached the sealed exits of the main entrance few agents met him for information.

"She took the professor, and headed east, were trying to pin point his location but her magic is frizzing up the system up like you wouldn't believe," the agent lead Hell boy to a set of computers lined up against the walls. "We would be chasing her down in one of the trucks, but she destroyed them all. We don't have any kind of transport on hand at the moment, but- wait." the agent paused and typed furiously at the keyboard. Hell boy looked over the techies shoulder, in a flash of green light a sonar screen lit up and blipped the coordinates of the professor's where a bouts. He was down at an abandoned bell tower.

"Right, I already got some rounds and holy water on me, if there's an emergency call someone else." Hell boy grunted slinging his over coat on. Just as he was about to leave, Manning met him at the door with a look on his face that would piss even the kindest soul off. In Reds case it just made him want to punch him in the face with his stone hand.

"You are _not_ going out there without any back up. Do you know what that would do the organizations reputation?" Hell boy dead panned and picked the official up by the collar, a glair set on his brow.

"My father is stuck out there with a maniac, I aint wait'n on no one." With a growl and a swish of the tail Hell boy was off.

Rain was bellowing from the skies like Gods wrath, Red grunted and pushed his way through to the bell tower, no one was out (and he thanked his lucky stars for that) so he didn't even try to be discreet. The winds picked up and icy gusts picked at Hell boys scarlet skin, and biblical sheets burned his eyes.

He pressed on though, through the thick sheets of blurring water and icy gusts of roaring wind, he pressed on. Nothing would stop him. To fight exhaustion, Hell boy began quoting biblical passages from the old testament. He remembered, when he was very young and his father was barely able to handle being appointed head of the branch, being in bed snuggled up close to his old man. One night when the moon was full and the stars were at their peak, a realization came to mind. He must have been seven or eight at the time, and Broom was just about to head to his chambers to get some much needed shut eye, when Hell boy called on him.

"Father?" he had asked and Broom turned, Hell boy had never feigned innocence and asked for a glass of water when he just wanted to stay up later, so it must have been important.

"Yes, son? What is it you need?" a callused hand was laid on his sons shoulder and Red wrung his hands, albeit rather awkwardly with one appendage being stone.

"In the bible it talks about Hell being a bad place, where the wicked go after they die. If it's such a bad place, then why am I named after it?"

Broom paused for a moment, he couldn't very well tell his only child that it had been on a whim and he couldn't lie, realizing his little demon would see through it in an instant.

"Son, do you know what Irony is?" Broom had asked and his son cocked his head like a lost little boy, fitting for this moment.

"A little bit, why?" Hell boy was curious now and nothing could drive it out, but answers.

"Well, Hell is quit a nasty place, full of fire and brimstone and the like, but when I look at you I see something completely opposite. You know what right and wrong is and you know what honor is. A true Demon, one born of fire and brimstone, wouldn't know the beginning of anything like that." Broom patted Hell boy on the head and tucked him in, Hell boy looked like he didn't quite understand the pun his name was, but he didn't question any further.

His father loved him and that was all he needed.

~~ Yeah those were the good old days, Hell boy thought to himself. No Manning to mess with his emotions, no one to tell him what to do and where to go. That was nice.

"Hell boy? Are you there?" Abe's voice rang out loud and clear over the communicator on Hell boy's belt. He unhooked it and began to relay his position, only to be stopped mid-sentence with a rare moment of rudeness on Abe's part.

"Why did you go out all alone? I would have come to help you."

Hell boy paused and stopped in his tracks. "What did Manning tell you?" he grunted in frustration, knowing he had something to do with his friends hurt tone.

"Nothing, just that you didn't want someone to help you get your father back,

not that it's any of my business." Abe sounded more than hurt (if that was even possible) like a wounded animal. Hell boy let out a deep tired sigh and continued to walk on. He really didn't need this right now, but as if god himself was reminding Hell boy just what he was, it happened whether he wanted it or not.

Fate was a cruel mistress indeed.

"The only reason I told him that was so he could leave me the hell alone and let me do my job." Hell boy griped, he never did like Manning, and probably never would.

"Do you still mean that?" Hell boy glared into the walky-talky as if it were asking all of the hard emotional questions.

"Maybe, but I'm all the way out here and I'm not waiting for back up." Hell boy hung up before Abe could retort and threw the walky-talky down on the concrete.

Sooner rather than later, Hell boy came across the bell tower, the winds were as strong as ever and the witch was no doubt in side the towering building. The only reason Hell boy wasn't flung off of his feet and suspended into the air was because he weighed far too much for the wind currents to lift. As he trudged his way up the stares and into the inky abyss of the open door way he noticed the chill that ran through his bones, it was a distinct chill, the kind one gets after running out of a haunted house in nothing but a towel (true story).

High arches decorated the usually peaceful place but winds bellowed like giants breath, the witch was in the center black dress swirling around her with Hell boy's father in tow. Her Black hair swirling around her tangling itself, her black gown nearly torn to smithereens. Her back was turned thank god, but Hell boy couldn't get a good shoot at his distance so he crept forward in hopes of startling her into submission.

"Let me go! You have no right to do this!" Broom shouted over the wind, and it made Hell boy cringe at how heart broken the poor man sounded. The witch just cackled and tossed her hair out of her face, revealing bright lightning blue eyes and mad fury.

"Don't tell me you're actually worried about him? Please, his true father would be ashamed of what he saw you put that poor boy through, look at him!" She turned on her heel (heel?) and thrust Broom out to look at his son, tears stuck to wrinkly skin and flinched at the look he got .

"So far off from his path to glory, he doesn't eve recognize his own cousin; look at me love." She came up close and Hell boy saw that human glean in her eyes. "Look at me and remember who you are, who you are meant to be, child." she sounded almost desperate, and Hell boy remembered what pity felt like.

It was not a pleasant feeling. He glared at her and snarled back "What if I don't want to remember! I'm fine with the family I have right now cuz' and I don't need some one like you telling me I need a new one."

"He will never love you like I will!" the wind witch clutched at his coat collar and the pleading look in her eyes morphed into angry desperation.

"If you really loved me then you would have come to get me the moment I was summoned to this world, and as far as I can tell, you're a bit late."

The witch seemed to writhe in pain from Hell boy's mere words, and he took the chance he got to shoot her point blank. As soon as the witch fell and crumbled to the ground Hell boy made a bee line for his discarded family.

"Pops, hey Pops! Are you okay? She didn't break anything did she?" Hell boy carefully placed his fathers head in the juncture of his shoulder and collar bone, Brooms eyes were wary and tired but held kindness non the less.

"I'm fine son, don't worry." he patted Hell boys chest and nodded off not soon after, a smile still on his face.

Hell boy sighed and started to carry him out after eyeing the witches body. A chopper hovered out side and Manning was in it waving out at the two with angry jerking gestures.

If Hell boy didn't know any better he would've said Manning was flipping him off.

He flipped him right back.


End file.
